Bessie Fletcher, faithful servant, is at peace and home with the Lord. Predeceased by her parents, George and Irene Gumas, her husband Ken Fletcher, and her siblings Peter and Estelle. Survived by her five nephews, Rhett, Scott, Todd, Wayne, and John. Calling Hours will be Tuesday June 27th from 5 until 7 at the Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home (Egypt Location) 7501 Pittsford Palmyra Road, Fairport. Funeral Service Saturday August 19, 2023 9AM at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church 962 East Ave, Rochester.
Bessie G. Fletcher was born on Long Island, March 6, 1931, and lived there until she left for college at age 18. She passed away peacefully June 19th, 2023 at the age of 92 She was the second oldest of three children. She never got to know her older brother Peter, who died as an infant. She also lived with her sister Estelle (Kit) for 5 years until her death. From a very young age Bessie loved the outdoors and playing ball. This would hold true right into her 80’s.
Bessie got her undergraduate degree from Brockport and her masters degree from Cortland. She wanted to be a physical education teacher more than anything else. Many of her fellow teachers gave her a hard time because she was able to wear shorts to school. They were all jealous. She told every one of them that they had the same opportunity as she did.
Bessie not only taught in Lyons, she taught the legendary Jim Boeheim as well. No wonder she was an SU fan her whole life. After leaving Lyons, Bessie taught the remainder of her career in Fairport, first at Brook Hill and then Jefferson Ave.
Bessie married Kenneth Fletcher from Lyons. They had almost 15 years together until Ken died from an accident at the age of 36. They were never blessed with children but Bessie loved her nephews and adopted nieces (Elizabeth, Katherine, and Cindy) more than anything. When I was a young boy, I used to enjoy Aunt Bess and Uncle Ken’s visits to my grandparent’s farm in Walton NY. Uncle Ken would let me drive the tractor and taught me how to shoot a gun. From that time on, I never forgot my Uncle Ken. My Grandparent’s on the other hand were very cautious because we were all so young when we came to visit and/or work on the farm. Bessie also a wonderful dog named Tippy who gave her great joy. She loved to play fetch!
During her teaching years Bessie always loved the children, encouraging them by being conscious of their individual strengths. She also had the good fortune of team teaching with Mike Driscoll. She was also an outspoken advocate for Title 9 which allowed girls equal rights regarding sporting opportunity. Long after she retired, while watching her niece Alexandria play soccer, she marveled that small Christian school allowed boys and girls to play on the same team. There always had to be a certain number of girls on the field at all times. You should have heard her cheering the children on from the sideline. At about the same time, she was also nominated and placed on the Wall of Distinction for her dedication to not only the children but also to education. Her Mom and Dad encouraged both of the girls to get a good education.
As mentioned earlier, Bessie loved the outdoors. She was involved in many athletic activities as a participant and as a spectator. I remember Bessie following her friend Jan Merchant’s niece play softball. She loved not only going to SU games but going to SU related events. She was a high roller in the Roaring Twenty bowling league for years. She was a golfing member at Green Hills/Mendon Country Club. She was a founding member and a very active participant in the Perinton Crescent Trail Association. Bessie loved to hike those trails along with the hiking and skiing she loved to do in the Adirondacks. She also went trekking in Australia and New Zealand. She was also a die-hard NY Giant fan and after many slim years was excited about the positive year the Giants just had.
Other interests and hobbies include playing Bridge and poker with her card playing friends. I always marveled at all the coins she had in these metal containers. Evidently, she did pretty well at the poker table! She was a season ticket holder too GEVA and the Broadway Theatre league. She was a voracious reader and especially liked history. She was very active in the Greek Orthodox church and participated in making all of their festivals a huge success. She had a special place in her heart for the Al Sigl Center and the Mary Cariola Children’s Center, working with youth with disabilities.
Some say that Bessie was stubborn as they come which allowed her to take on any challenge put before her. She was independent to a fault and would give you the shirt off her back. She was knowledgeable and could hold her own in debating topics such as politics or any hot topic put before her.
To me, Bessie was a unique individual. She cared deeply about everyone she met. She always had a smile and always found the good in people. She really cared, whether it was a student, a family member, a friend, or for those that took care of her in the end. She loved unconditionally. Her faith was unwavering. She set a great example to follow. To those that knew her, Bessie will remain forever in our hearts as she has shown much wisdom, friendship, and good times throughout the years.
You will be missed sweet Aunt Bess but certainly not forgotten.
Comments
19 responses to “Fletcher, Bessie G.”
I enjoyed teaching with Bessie. We spent many years going to GEVA and the Auditorium Theater together. We even bowled together on the Fairport Teachers League.
She was a special lady!!
Thank you Janet. So sorry that your Geva Theatre gatherings with Bessie didn’t last longer.
Thank you Janet. So sorry that your GEVA get togethers with Bess didn’t last longer. She certainly enjoyed them.
Peace be with Aunt Bessie. We all loved her so much. She had a beautiful, fun, kind, healthy spirit. We will always remember her by her smile, infectious laugh and easy going spirit while she was also a competitor and fiercely loyal. So grateful to Rhett for being her constant loving caregiver all these many years. And sending much love to my brothers for their loss.
I was saddened to learn of Bessie’s passing and would like to extend our deepest sympathy to her family. I had the pleasure of meeting Bess through my sister-in-law, Jan Merchant. I had the opportunity to play golf with Bess and she was a fierce competitor. I am the mother of Jan’s niece and sat with Bessie at many of my daughters St. John Fisher softball games. You just knew how much she appreciated women’s athletics. I feel very fortunate to have crossed paths with this amazing lady. Rest in Peace.
I as a student of Miss Gumas in Lyons and graduated in the class of 1962. She was a great teacher, I loved her pe classes and the play days she arranged for us with other schools, since at that time girls didn’t have the privilege of playing in leagues as they do now. We had intermural sports and our play days with other schools. Rest in peace Miss Gumas. I too remember her husband Ken as well as he was a Lyons native. Barbara D’Amato.
Thank you Barbara. Not sure if you are still a Lyons resident, I am looking to connect with any one in the Fletcher family. Bessie adored Uncle Ken’s family and I know there are still a number of them in the area. If you are able to help me in that regard, it would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Rhett,
My name is Ann Gleason and my mother is Carol Fletcher Cataldi, Ken’s sister. Aunt Bessis was a big part of all our lives. My mother would love to hear from you as she has been trying to find a way to be in touch with Bessie these last few years. We are saddened by this loss of a wonderful woman.
Bess was my golf mentor, a bowling buddy, a Christmas tree hunting pal, and a dear friend.
I also played against her in “over 50” softball…a true athlete and a great catcher. We spent many hours golfing, traveling to Leanne’s softball games (which she LOVED and lived vicariously through …as Leanne was also a catcher. She cheered like crazy after every home run!), swimming in the lake, and playing poker together (her favorite game to call was “Chicago” and she hated when someone called the game “Spades”. )
I will miss her wit, sense of humor, and companionship. “Hit ‘em long and straight, Besser ! Love ya!)
Aunt Bess was a safe place. She was supportive and encouraging. We never heard her say disparaging word about anyone and was the type of person who was so fake and flexible that hanging out with her made things better. @Rhett, you of all people you have been so faithful to her and her life. We are all so blessed to have had her as family as well as to have someone like you there to care so beautifully for her. I’m so sorry for our loss but especially for you who has been there for her. Now she is at peace. Now she is everywhere. She was awesome. Truly awesome. ?
The above comment came from sister Katherine King
I first met Bessie when my mom & I were waiting to tee off on the first tee at then Green Hills. We invited her to join us for a threesome. There began a wonderful friendship. For many years we traveled together to Cape Cod for fun adventures with her friends Betty & Nancy & we played many golf games together. She was always up for an adventure! Sadly, I’d list touch in more recent years.
Rest in peace, Bessie!
Wherever a beautiful soul has been, there’s a trail of beautiful memories. Rhett, your Aunt Bess was certainly blessed to have you! Prayers for you and your family as you cope with this loss.
When I was a young boy I spent a great two week vacation with Aunt Bess and her trusty yellow Chevy Citation, Clementine. We had a great time going to the beach, hanging out with her friends (Nancy & Betty), reading and relaxing. She taught me a great thing that summer which came in the way of a dessert which was a favorite of mine. Every night I could have one molasses cookie for dessert. They were so good that I would want to have the whole tin. Aunt Bess would offer me one cookie a night and taught me a life lesson to this day: “Savor the taste, John, savor the taste”. We had many adventures over the years from winter and summer break visits along with hiking and golfing. She and Rhett were best friends and they took really good care of each other over the years. She will be watching over us now so don’t forget to “Savor the taste”.
When I started teaching in fairport I had a few years teaching elementary physical education. Under the guidance of Blessie and Paul Lopez I learned a new type of teaching called Movement Education. This method helped me to be a better teacher and I believe was a much improved way of helping all children to learn about body mechanics.
Thank you Bessie for being there.
I’ll always remember Aunt Bessie for her smile and her infectious laugh. She had the best energy and brought it with her wherever she went. Lighthearted positive funny kind… she was interesting too! Her love of history and good nature left no shortage of fun and engaging conversation. She’d welcome you with unconditional love unearned and undemanding. A rare quality and role modeling . These are just a few examples of what made her so well loved and I’ll hold her near and dear in my heart ♥️. May she rest in eternal peace
Movement Education was my entry into Jefferson Avenue School in Fairport, New York. That was due to the unforgettable Bessie Fletcher and her unique way of teaching and her love of children. She counseled, laughed and followed me when I left for Europe and eventually ended up in Kathmandu, Nepal. I have goosebumps and loving thoughts of her as I compose this message. Her Movement Education philosophy supported me in forty nine years of teaching Physical Education and Music
to elementary kids. Love ya Bess and will always be grateful to you.
My deepest condolences to Bessie’s family. She was an amazing woman!
I first met Bessie when my mother and I were standing on the first tee at what was then Green Hills, now Mendon Golf Club. We saw Bessie approaching alone & invited her to join us. There began a wonderful friendship. We played many rounds of golf together. That then led to many adventures renting cottages on Cape Cod – a favorite place of Bessie’s. Bessie was always up for an adventure. She had a wonderfully curious mind and could speak knowledgeably on so many topics. She also had a deep interest in the people she befriended. Bessie became a dear friend to my entire family.
She will be missed. Rest in peace, Bessie!
Rest in Peace Aunt Bessie! An amazing person as characteristic of all the wonderful comments, thank you all for sharing.
Like my oldest brother, my first recollection of our Aunt Bess was at the farm in Walton. As evidenced, her very being was refreshing to witness, even as a young 4 year old, playful, adventurous, challenging, active, inclusive, smart and very loving. She was held in high regard by both of her her parents, George and Irene, who were always amazed with her. As a child, I to can remember piling in Uncle Ken’s pick up truck to go woodchuck hunting.
Years later, at my grandparents apple orchard farm in North Rose, NY, I recall like it was yesterday; the excitement that Bessie was here! During that summer in 71, Bess arrived to take me to a AAA baseball game. While trying to explain the game, we witnessed a triple play for which excited her to no end just after explaining what a double play was! Regarding her beloved black lab, Tippy, I recall playing fetch at her front yard in Lyons. Bess would award Tippy with (just one) Hershey Kiss She loved that dog, all of us kids and just about everyone she’d encounter, perhaps with exception of then president Nixon!
Some summers later, Aunt Bess came to her sister’s house in LI NY to help take care of us boys after my mom’s hysterectomy. For someone who didn’t have kids, she certainly knew how to manage a house full of boys! When I attended Brockport College, Bess would have me over for Sunday dinners and we even shared some thanksgivings together.
After marriage, my wife and I attended her retirement party both thinking she was still so young to retire! We’d also see her visiting her parents house in Clearwater, one year Bess arranged a huge party to celebrate her parents 60 years of marriage. Some years later on a couple occasions, Rhett had brought her down to LI for one of our many family gatherings at my step mom and sister’s home, where we got to take long walks along the beautiful north shore beaches and hike Caumsett State Park. As with me, Bess always enjoyed being in the outdoors, deep conversation and a great hand at mediating inter family in-fighting! She was a true peace maker at heart in how she lived and interacted with others.
A few years later Aunt Bess arranged for my wife and I to drive her parents belongings back to western NY for there sunset years. We both admired her dedication to stubbornly caring for them, including remodeling her home just for there comfort. While my daughter was still very young, we were able to visit from Georgia a couple times. Still later we would always try to have her visit us, and one year she finally did while my in-laws were in town. It didn’t take long for them to hit it off, we all enjoyed such a great time that spring, either just prior or after her annual trip to Hilton Head, with her life-long friends, just before The Masters. While we had her back for my daughter’s wedding in April 2013, unfortunately for us that was her last trip to see us however she’ll remain in our heart forever.
I’m grateful to my brother for helping Bess all these years after our grandparents return to NY, Bess would always say what a God send Rhett had been to her during that very stressful period of her life. Perhaps that was in the cards all along.